Barbell
Hang Clean and Press For Explosive Shoulders and Traps

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The Barbell Hang Clean and Press is an explosive
movement that is excellent for developing power and coordination
in the upper body. Because it uses power and momentum, you
hit your muscles in a far different way than with traditional
bodybuilding exercises.

The Clean and Press is a two-part
movement. The first part is the clean from the bar hanging
at arms length in a standing position. The second part is
the press up from the shoulders to an overhead position.

For this exercise, all you
need is a barbell and a willingness to work! Perform this
exercise first in your workout as it's a very technique-oriented
exercise. It should be done as close to the beginning of
your workout as possible.

Be sure to check out the
video for this exercise - with still pictures, it's hard
to see the explosiveness of the exercise.

I prefer to do this exercise
in the rack, simply because it's easier to set the bar down
when you're done with your set. You don't need the rack
though - you can just pick the bar up from the ground to
get to the start position.

Grip a barbell with a medium
grip (about the same as your bench press grip or a little
narrower). Start in a standing position with your arms hanging
straight down. Your feet should be placed just wider than
shoulder-width apart.

I'm going to show all phases
of the movement from the side while I'm describing them
here. Below, you'll find the rear view and front view in
detail as well.

Apply explosive upward power
to the bar as though trying to pull it straight up to the
ceiling.

Use an explosion from your
thighs and calves to get the most power possible. Imagine
the bar going up in as straight a path as possible. This
keeps the force of the bar upward rather than outward. If
you start swinging the bar out and around, you lose some
of the power that should be available for moving the bar
up.

As the weight starts to come
up, flip your arms up and back, racking the bar across your
shoulders.

There are two tips to remember
as you are doing the clean: drop your body down then flip
your wrists back.The drop down means that the bar doesn't
have to go as high and the flip helps you to rack the bar
across your shoulders.

After you have completed the
clean, press up from your clavicles and overhead in a military
press.

Lower the weight back down
to your shoulders, then flip it back down and around (in
a reversal of the clean movement) to arms-length on your
thighs and repeat.

Possible Technique
Errors:

1.
Not using momentum

This is one
of the few exercises where you actually need momentum to
do it properly.

To do a
proper clean, you must apply upward force to the bar then
drop your body down underneath it.

Without
momentum this becomes a muscular rather than explosive
movement. This is incorrect.

You will
see this when the bar travels away from your body as shown
to the right.

It reduces
the amount of weight you are able to use and can actually
lead to injury.

2. Not
flicking the wrists

The wrist
flick at the top is very important. It helps get the weight
"around the corner" so that you can rack it on
your shoulders.

3. Not
dropping the body down as you rack the bar on the shoulders

Your legs
should not remain stiff and stationary throughout the movement.
As you flip the bar up and across your shoulders, you should
bend your knees quickly and drop down as if catching the
bar.